US: Pelosi says no stand-alone aid for airlines without bigger stimulus bill

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Thursday said there won’t be stand-alone bill for additional airline aid without a larger coronavirus stimulus package, another obstacle to further federal support for the battered sector that has already cut thousands of employees. Pelosi’s comments come two days after President Donald Trump halted talks on a national coronavirus package until after the election but urged additional aid for airlines, a plan that has won bipartisan backing. US carriers last week started furloughing more than 33,000 workers, the vast majority of the cuts at American and United. Terms of the $25b in support Congress approved in the $2.2t CARES Act in March prohibited airlines from furloughing workers until Oct. 1. The funds were meant to help airlines manage a dip in demand but a significant rebound in bookings has failed to materialize. “It’s consistent with what has been going on in this process for quite some time now. That is huge bipartisan support for extension of [payroll support] for the airlines ... but a frustrating process by which we’re trying to get it enacted,” American’s CEO, Doug Parker, said. At the end of her Thursday news conference, Pelosi suggested the White House and Democrats could renew talks toward a broader aid package. “We’re at the table. We want to continue the conversation. We’ve made some progress, we’re exchanging language,” the speaker said. <br/>